The Word To Live By: 3-16-26
Phil Waggoner
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Matthew 6:12
The Word To Live By: I wanted to say one more thing about forgiveness and unforgiveness. Unforgiveness will make you sick, physically and emotionally. It hardens your spirit, which makes it difficult to believe God’s Word. (Again, forgiveness is a lynch pin.) I recognize that there are many more incidents in life that happen far greater than this one that happened to a man you don’t know, in a job that will be over in two weeks, and whom you will likely never see again. I meet people every day who have had such a terrible thing happen to them as children or even adults that has messed them up and requires more than the words, “I forgive them,” to get over. It’s OK to talk to a professional about what’s holding you back from walking in the abundant life that God sent Jesus to give us, just like it is wise to go to a doctor who specializes in diseases that can kill you or maim you. When I went over the front of my bike and caught my throat on the top of a chain link fence and ripped my neck open, I didn’t simply say, “By His wounds I was healed.” (That was the first thing I did, but it was followed closely by to going to the hospital to get stitched up and get a tetanus shot.) You may remember Elizabeth Smart, the young girl living in Utah, who at the age of 14 was abducted from her bedroom in the middle of the night and taken to California and held captive, raped and starved for nine months. She was eventually found and restored to her family. That was about 23 years ago and she is living a normal, productive life today, married with three children. She credits her faith in God and doctors who helped her get “Over it.” (I highly recommend her book.) 3 John 2 says, “Beloved I wish above all things, that you prosper and be in health even as you soul prospers.” That’s God’s will for your life. The word “prospers” there means to continue unabated on your journey through life. The word, “you” is referring to your body which houses your spirit, and soul is your mind, will and emotions. God wants you whole. And do you think a loving God cares how you get there as long as it’s within the boundaries of life and life more abundant? The word “saved” in the Bible means delivered, protected, healed, preserved, and whole - spirit, soul, and body. Don’t put God in a box with your religious beliefs. That’s why the Sadducees and Pharisees crucified Jesus.
Read through the Bible in a year: Matthew 16; Numbers 1-2; Ecclesiastes 3:1-15;
Read through the New Testament and Proverbs: Proverbs 16, Mark 10:1-26, Galatians 2
The sum of Thy Word is Truth Psalm 119:160